20 Nov 2012

Hotel Splendide Sir...

In Casino Royale, Bond and Vesper are picked up at the Montenegro train station and driven to the Hotel Splendide in a Daimler limousine. The Daimler takes a somewhat unexpected way to the hotel.

Of course the Montenegro scenes were all filmed in the Czech Republic and especially around the spa town of Karlovy Vary, 2 hours west of Prague. The road the Daimler is traveling on is Tržiště in the southern part of the city. Tržiště divides in two and the right part, the one Bond is traveling down on turns into Lázeňská after the curve. Lázeňská is actually the road where the car is parked in the first scene at the train station, when Bond receives his envelope. Following Tržiště backwards you end up in front of Grandhotel Pupp, which of course played the part of Hotel Splendide in the film. So ultimately the car is going the wrong way, away from the hotel. At the time of our visit to Karlovy Vary the road was under renovation and it has probably been turned into a some kind of pedestrian street.

After a drive around town they finally arrive at the Hotel Splendide from Goethova stezka. This road passes the Casino Royale building before going over the river and up to the hotel. On the way you pass the car park where Bond finds his Aston parked. The entire hotel complex covers almost two blocks and will be covered in detail later, as well as a night in one of the suites. But the small hotel parking lot, formed as a gun barrel, is still there with the parking spaces still recognizable. Unfortunately the streets were also being renovated outside the hotel so it was not accessible for parking.

But the building is the same and very recognizable. Karlovy Vary is a beautiful city and especially the buildings around Grandhotel Pupp. CaféPupp on the corner of the hotel has been given a new Montenegrin name instead of "Kavárna Cukrárna" which translates to Café patisserie in Czech.

1 comment:

hello excelent web page about 007. im tourist guide from east slovakia , with big knowledge of movies location in czech republic and very talkactive.i can handle group of health handicaped and LGBTI.421 914 147 521anita

The Bond inspiration

Researching, visiting and writing about the classic and exotic film locations that has been frequented by the most British of all heroes for over 50 years. As a huge 007 fan, devoted to the good life and good drinks the trips are not as much about visiting as they are about living. Always eager to stay in more luxury hotels and order drinks in new bars I am (slowly) working my way around the world together with my old comrade in arms.

Visiting the Bond locations even takes you to some of the most beautiful places in the world. I have realized that visiting the locations even makes you enjoy the films much more.

Thankfully my friend is equally amused as me, in making the location trips and hopefully we will never run out of new sights.

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